Legoinsaniac

I have amazing news! For the last few weeks I have been in contact with several people from Vogtland Springs. I wrote them a lengthy email about how their springs lower the front of the 400E too much, and they are really just 300E springs, not intended for the weight of a V8. They looked into the matter, and after I sent them part numbers and links to these forums where other people are having similar problems, they sent the whole matter to the engineers over in Germany. Well, they did a production run on some revised 400E front springs about two weeks ago, and I just got word that they will send me a pair of front springs, free of charge. They will also do this for any 400E owner with Vogtland springs! Just contact their customer service and provide some form of proof of purchase (The email address can be found on their site). I am very impressed with Vogtland on this one, they have better customer service than any company I have ever dealt with.

I'll be sure to post pictures once I get and install the new springs!

Bigpete123

that's really cool. It's not too often that people will own up to their mistakes like that!!

mgw_300e

heil vogtland!

CDP

Email Sent - I better get my springs!

moner

thats awesome!!!!

next question, when do these new springs hit production? i wonder! it would be great if they got new model numbers by the new year.

shadowgriffen

that's incredible, good luck guys!

uberwgn

This seems to be a widespread issue. My original H&R springs dropped the front end so low the car wasn't driveable. I have a diesel W210 (in-line 6 cyl) and the prescribed spring was for the V6 gas car. They ended up sending out V8 front springs to help bring things back up. I suspect the diesel engine is the heaviest of all the powerplants.

I installed Eibachs this past weekend in an attempt to make the ride less harsh, but the car now sits 1/2" lower than the H&Rs Eibach says one size fits all: V6 = diesel = V8 srping Still trying to find an acceptable solution for my local roads.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....0&postcount=63

natural_person

Dang! And I just sold my spring compressor : (

Legoinsaniac

Today I got the vogtland springs in the mail, shipped straight from their facility in Germany. Since I'm now on winter break from college, I'll most likely put them in tomorrow and take some before and after pictures. Stay tuned!

crr1612

lego, are your shocks and everything else stock? did u change up the rest of your suspension to fit the vogtlands? thanks

CDP

I still haven't received a email back ...

Lego, what email did you use to contact them and can I see a sample of your email?

SUNILP

i changed to the Euro sportline suspension on my 400e and love it. No rubbing at all, no spring pad issues with the front and sits perfectly for me. i'll take some pictures and post.

AMGDave

Like Sunman said... Mercedes offered a factory Sportline package for the 400E in Europe. You can order the correct OE springs (and other parts) to install a full Sportline suspension on your 400E, no worries about if the parts are correct or not... you get the factory engineered solution. The cost isn't bad either (roughly $300 for a full set) and there are packages for both SLS and non-SLS cars (which you probably ain't gonna find aftermarket!)

Eliot

The 400 Sportline suspension is 14 inches tall. Looks quite flush. You have a choice though of rear coil spring. The shorter one is the taller 6 cylinder sportline coil spring.

I'll post photos of my conversion when I'm back in VA on Friday.

Legoinsaniac

Okay, so I switched out the front springs for the revised ones today, and am quite pleased with the results. I used bump-4 spring pads, but I may change those out for some lower ones after I give the springs a chance to settle in.

I took the car out and put it through it's paces afterwards, and I'm very happy...the car corners just as well as the other springs, but does not rub at all on turns of any kind (on stock winter wheels), nor does it bottom out/scrape on driveways or large speedbumps.

First pic is before, second is after, the third is a comparison (the new ones are the same length but 1 less coil), fourth is in-progress, and the last shot is after cleaning up the car.

Legoinsaniac

The 400E sportline suspension that several of you are talking about sounds pretty cool, you guys should definetly post up some pictures. Do any of you have an idea of how the ride compares to aftermarket springs? I'm pleased with my current setup, just curious.

crr---I have bilstein sport shocks and a 500e front sway bar along with the springs. Hopefully I'll be getting a rear 500E bar sometime soon.

Chris--strange that you haven't recieved a reply email. I'll pm you some contact info.

AMGDave

Here's a text file with the Sportline spring part numbers... this has most, but NOT all, W124 models:

http://www.w124performance.com/docs/...suspension.txt

Note there is a full Sportline suspension available for the S124 station wagon, complete with SLS. Neat!

CDP

Yeah, It makes me slightly mad that I haven't received a reply back. However, thanks for the PM and I'll email the contacts you gave me.

natural_person

Legoinsaniac, can you tell me what the distance is now from the ground to the lip of the front fenders? (Should be around 15.5" -16" or so?)

What was the difference between the springs, in your estimation? Kinda hard to tell from the photos : (

Thanks,

Eric

AMGDave

When measuring, don't measure from the ground... wheels, tires, and tire pressures will affect that measurement. Instead, measure from the center of the wheel to the fender lip. Most stock 124's are between 14.5-15.5 inches when new, and Sportline models are about 14 inches. The rear is usually close to the front measurement when the fuel tank is full.

If you lower it too much, there's almost zero suspension travel left at the struts... it may look cool, but ride quality will be affected... I'm in the process of raising my 300D with the Sportline package from about 13.25 back up to 14.25 for that reason (along with improved ground clearance at the front bumper.)

crr1612

i wonder if i could BS my way into getting new springs for free

Legoinsaniac

I measured, and in the front it's 13", and the back is 12.5". So this is roughly a 2" drop from stock height. I figure that the front will drop about half an inch once they settle in, making the car nice and level. I love this height, I feel it's the perfect blend of sportiness, looks, and driveability. Before I put in the new springs, the car was WAY to low, probably around 11" (although I stupidly never measured it).

natural--I believe the only difference between the springs is the spring rate, seeing as how they are exactly the same length. The newer springs have one less turn than the old ones, too, but it's hard to tell in the pics.

If anyone wants my FRONT 300E springs, you can have 'em for the rock-bottom price of $35 shipped...I have no use for them seeing as how they don't fit 400E's. They're in good shape, and have like 8k miles on 'em. Just PM me.